Cleveland's District of Design moves beyond being a concept

Richardson DesignHere's what the Cleveland District of Design might look like, viewed from where Huron Road East meets Euclid Avenue.

The Cleveland District of Design is moving from promising concept to a proposal with meat.

Property owners around Playhouse Square gathered with prospective tenants Wednesday evening to hear the latest on creating a world-class district of consumer-product showrooms and design centers on downtown's eastern flank.

First proposed in 2006 by two college honchos, the idea went into a quiet phase.

Playhouse Square's real estate management group prospected for ground-level showrooms along Euclid Avenue, centered at the plaza at Huron Road and Euclid Avenue.

Building owners are excited, said Tom Einhouse, vice president of the Playhouse Square real estate group.

So are local consumer-product companies. The concept won't launch until five or six commit to display space along Euclid Avenue, officials said.

Prospects include Saeco, the local maker of high-end coffee machines; KraftMaid Cabinetry Inc.; American Greetings; Amish furniture makers; and the studio of the late Viktor Schreckengost, an icon in industrial design.

If KraftMaid commits, Delta Faucet and Behr Paints, Home Depot's leading brand, could follow, said Ned Hill, interim dean of Cleveland State University's urban-affairs college.

Hill hatched the design-district concept with Dan Cuffaro, head of the Cleveland Institute of Art's industrial design department.

Under their vision, design-related companies and support services would cluster east of downtown, spinning off jobs and innovation.

Hill credited Playhouse Square President Art Falco for pushing the concept from drawing board to reality.

Some prospects

Backers of the Cleveland District of Design envision a unique array of consumer-product showrooms, featuring the latest designs. It would attract wholesale buyers during the week and retail shoppers on weekends.

According to Cleveland State University's Ned Hill, some of the District of Design prospects include:

Saeco USA, the Glenwillow-based producer of high-end coffee makers.

KraftMaid Cabinetry Inc., of Middlefield.

Amish Heritage Wood Floors & Furnishings, on West 25th Street.

Playhouse Square wants to dovetail the design district with a retail strategy that the Downtown Cleveland Alliance is crafting for Euclid Avenue, said Playhouse Square's Einhouse.

The alliance represents downtown property owners.

"The District of Design coupled with the retail plan makes a lot of sense," Einhouse said.

Entertainment venues would mesh with the design district's plan to attract wholesale buyers from across the country during the week and retail shoppers on weekends.

Einhouse plans to join the alliance in publicizing the design district and retail plans at the International Council of Shopping Centers convention next week in Las Vegas.

"We'll not go real hard on filling it up," Einhouse said. "We want to talk with people and gauge the interest.

"As the concept takes hold, we'll expand to the CSU campus and spread it out," Einhouse said. "It's not all about just focusing it on a handful of buildings."

One of the design-district tenants could be in the former Cowell and Hubbard Co. building at East 13th and Euclid Avenue, which Playhouse Square owns, Einhouse said.

The plan is to pursue historic tax credits and other subsidies to reduce rents, making the district more attractive to tenants, he said.

The district also will reach out to high schoolers. Jane Addams High School and Cuyahoga Community College plan to collaborate on an industrial-design program next school year, with the possibility of design-district tenants offering internships down the road.

Creating vibrancy and density in the district is key, Hill said.

"This would be a place where artists and designers can exchange ideas and deepen our competitive advantage" in the design industry, Hill said.

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